I want to bring up a mention…

I want to bring up a mention that the Groundhog River Waterway Provincial Park should be on the list of expanded or additional park lands for the reaches of river that were not part of the established back in 1999 or the 2007 document by Paul Bewick.

There is much crown land that was missed and should be added if the banks of this river are to be protected from future potential of industrial, mining, forestry, or human acquisition for personal benefit.

The reaches I want to bring to your attention starts near the base of Ten Mile Rapids downstream to the just above Dixon Rapids.

The fact that this reach of the Groundhog River crosses highway 11, the community of Fauquier and also the Brookfield hydro complex at Charmichael Falls, still leaves a long stretch of river and crown land that should be added and complete the living lands legacy efforts.

There is also two other specific locations of concern I want to add. The Upper Falls withdrawn mining claim over the falls and the soon to be term of claim status ending in 2027 over the Six Mile Rapid.

I still remember when my close MNR friends of the Timmins District announced me the news that the Groundhog River was designated a Waterway Provincial Park. For many years I have shared the special nature of this river and the presence of a healthy natural lake sturgeon population. Viewing lake sturgeon peak spawn and sharing with environmentally concerned visitors still shows why it is the most valuable tributary of the Moose River Basin.

I hope that you will consider a revision to the list of new protected areas in the Northeast Zone (NEZ)